The Passover Seder is usually described as a ceremonial meal: Participants sit down to a set of ritualized foods and tell the story of the exodus from Egypt. But more than just tell it, we are bidden to relive it. We engage in ritual and discussion and debate, until each of us feels that we’ve made a journey ourselves. It’s a singular, time-stopping evening. And if you don’t abridge it, it can take a very long time. As an adult, I don’t love this ritual, and I often even skip it. But as a kid, it was very special to me because of the gathering.

When you’re a kid the world is so big, so complicated, so replete with marvels and surprises. You don’t realize that you are both separate from it and part of it. Even with stories in the news and rituals like Passover seders, we as kids only know the reality that is ours. The only world that exists is the world as we know it. The world at large, with heartbreak, plague and loss is–if we’re lucky–an abstract idea.

As we grow up we learn our histories and life’s bitter lessons by heart. Every once in a while, usually while I’m cooking, I’m hit with an intense nostalgia of that vanished glory, of lost wholeness, a memory of the world untainted, but also unlived. Last night, while making these meatballs, I had a memory of gathering in my uncle’s house at a seder table with my entire family from my very old great-grandfathers to my newborn baby brother. For some reason that moment has remained static in my mind and I had such an intense longing for it last night that it stung my eyes. I asked myself as I was washing dishes if I’d give up everything and everyone I have now to go back to that moment when I was a kid sitting at the seder table when everyone I loved was still alive and together. The answer: Maybe for a moment, but not for good. That’s the nature of life and cycles I guess. We are all tending our gardens in the shade of the giant trees that were there before us and in due time we will be those trees too. There is something beautiful about that. Undertaking this meal brought me closely back to that moment in time and in that way I was there again because the kitchen, like a novel, is not bound by linear time. You can have conversations over time and space through the food, the act of preparing it and eating it.

Anyway, I’m not that religious, but because I grew up with a Passover tradition, I thought I’d take a normally insipid holiday and infuse it with new life in the spirit of freedom and renewal. I made Grandma’s sweet and sour meatballs and honey-roasted sweet potatoes with goat cheese and zhoug, which is basically, a sort of chili-laced Middle Eastern chimichurri. It’s a nice springtime interplay of sweet and herbal, rich and briny. I also used the leftover beets from the red velvet cake and made beet root and goat cheese croquettes fried in Passover- acceptable oil and breaded with matzo meal (not seen here because I ate them all as I was cooking the rest). And, not to worry, I ate the meatballs with spinach way more than 6 hours after the dairy dishes, though they did grace the same table for the photos.

1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch quarters

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Directions:

To make the zhoug, place the garlic, chili, fresh herbs and lemon juice in a blender. Add about half the olive oil and blend, scraping down as needed. Add more oil as needed to create a balanced, pourable pesto. Season with salt to taste. Set aside.

To make the sweet potato, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the sweet potato with the olive oil, and roast until they’re quite soft and starting to caramelize, 30 to 40 minutes. When they’re almost ready, drizzle on the honey and scatter the goat cheese. Return to the oven for another few minutes, until the cheese has started to warm and soften (if you want, the dish can be made in advance, then reheated at the last minute). Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, drizzle with zhoug and serve.

Directions:

If you are able to preserve any of the juice from your pineapples save it in a separate cup. In a large pot or dutch oven, mix together tomato sauce, cider vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, 1/2 tsp salt and the juice from the pineapples. Stir together and turn heat to low to let the sauce slowly warm.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl use a fork to mix together the ground turkey, egg, matzo meal, paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, garlic, onion, black pepper, coriander seeds, cilantro and cayenne. I like a little heat in the meatballs, so I add a 1/2 tsp of cayenne or sometimes I just use Spanish smoked paprika, which also brings heat, but here it could overwhelm. If you don’t want them spicy, you can omit it completely– or just add a pinch of cayenne for depth of flavor.

Form the meat mixture into small 1-inch meatballs. If the mixture seems to moist or stick, add another tablespoon of matzo meal to the mixture. Place the meatballs into the warming sauce. When all the meatballs are formed, bring the mixture to a boil and stir to cover the meatballs with sauce. Lower the heat to a low, even simmer and cover the pot.

Let the meatballs cook for 40 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and meatballs cook all the way through. After 40 minutes, add the pineapple chunks to the sauce and stir to coat. Let the chunks warm in the sauce for 5 minutes. Serve hot with cilantro to garnish.

Both these dishes look and sound delicious, Amanda. I did not experience Passover Seder as a child (because I was raised Catholic), but have been participating in Seders for the last decade of my adult life. The Passover Seder we attend usually lasts six hours (“abridged” by some standards). I quite enjoy the food at the Seder we attend, not insipid at all, and always reminds me of how lucky I am. Food has such power, always reminding us of family and friends and events, just as you remarked. I look forward to making these meatballs (my favorite food). I wish you a Happy Passover!

Wow, both the recipes look and sound delicious, Amanda. I love the pineapple in the meatballs, and the mixture of zhoug + goat cheese combination to top the sweet potatoes. I’ve never celebrated a Jewish Passover in my entire life, but I really enjoyed reading about your memories of it. Memories of family and friend gatherings around a feast are always nice. I always anticipate Easter every year, as it is one of the several times a year we all gather and celebrate… oh and eat too, of course. I cannot wait for Sunday to stuff myself with my mom’s Kulich and Pascha!

I expect a full report! I love reading about your mom’s Russian food. I also like hearing about other people’s traditions so it’ll be an exciting Sunday 🙂 Thanks for your comment. Maybe one year you can come to my seder! Or better yet, we can make one together in France!

Amanda, this is such a poignant thought and elegantly written. As children, we really don’t know what we don’t know and that can be magical. I think of the saying ” through the eyes of a child” and wish that, sometimes, it was easier to view life that way. I love reliving the special memories of food and gathering when I was young and your recollection was truly moving. Thank you for such a beautiful read. I think that toe of celebration would be wonderful (I’ve never experienced Seder.

Thanks a lot, Stacy. It’s true. There is something magical about childhood. I recently read a short story written from the view of a child and it really illuminated that for me. A seder can be a lot of fun. There’s a lot of singing and symbolism. It’s a combination of deprivation and joy. I too am a sucker for meatballs of all kinds.:) Thanks for your kind comment.

those colors positively pop! What amazing recipes, and also amazing that they bring back such strong memories. Agreed that it’s all about the marching forward, but how lucky we are if we have food memories that tie us back 🙂 Thanks for sharing your stories.

Amanda, WOW. Your memories and story touch me. You clearly have wonderful family and some amazing times with them over the holidays and through the years. That is such a priceless thing. Greg is gone most of Passover, and I don’t really know other Jewish people here, so we are not having Seders. Very sad! Maybe I will make some of your recipes, just for myself and the kids. The sweet potatoes with goat cheese sound just up my alley. We love the same foods. And you know how I feel about beets. Another outstanding post, Amada.

Thanks, Shanna. I know that this experience wasn’t everyone’s and it wasn’t even mine all the time. We had plenty of family drama, but that’s what creating your own community is all about (as we do here or with your kids). This year I didn’t go to a seder…it was just me and my non-Jewish Colombian husband. I think that’s why the nostalgia hit so hard. So I made these, for myself really and with hope that maybe I can pass this on one day and be someone’s tree, like you are. 🙂

Lovely story, Amanda. Thank you for sharing. The sweet and sour meatballs are similar to our sweet and sour meatballs. The only difference is the pineapple are not added in the meatballs but we infused the meatballs by cooking them with pineapple juice and its flesh; absolutely yummy! I’m getting hungry just talking about it. 😀 Have a great passover. 🙂 By the way, stunning photos. ❤ ! 🙂

Maybe I’m prop fanatical, but I kept thinking how nice that pierced spoon is! Or maybe it’s just me being superficial, as usual. And I also really like the last photo. You always have such good shots of ingredients. Something I never do. As my kitchen is too tiny to care.
Loving the idea of pineapple in meatballs. Although I don’t really do meatballs. Pineapple and cream is a favourite. Must buy them in for Easter.

Thanks, johnny. You just have a good eye. That spoon belonged to my great grandmother who brought it overt to America from Russia at the turn if the century. My grandma gave it to me. This was my first time using it. Good eye. Meatballs were something she loved too.

Oh Amanda, all looks so very yummy. I just got a tip from tinywhitecottage about your latest and we need to make this soon: 1 sweet potato in the basket, yipeeh. Bookmarked meatballs, too. Happy Easter. N.

Oh I’m so glad you stopped by because it allowed me to see your beautiful turkey meatballs! They look amazing. You will like the sweet potatoes. Your hot cross buns look so good too 😉 happy Easter to you!

Wonderful post, Amanda, and interesting proposition. If given the chance, would any of us go back to the time of a favorite memory? I think most would agree with you. Yes, for a short while but not for good. The sacrifice would be too great and there’s no guarantee that we’ll end up where we are now. The dishes you prepared sound delicious. I especially like the sweet and sour meatballs. And I’ll echo Michelle, this post was so very well photographed.

Thank you, Chgojohn. I’m glad that you shirt off think like I do. I propose ridiculous hypothetically to myself all the time. I think my responses are usually sane. I really likrd your post on lamb shanks. It sounds line your mom knew a thing or two about ritual meals. I’m going to try to do a lamb shank soon. Thanks for your thoughtful comment.

you have a beautiful blog! so happy to have discovered it.
I celebrate passover and the seders, which are complete with my family, grandparents and cousins, are something i look forward to all year and have wonderful memories from. we usually make more traditional food (chicken soup, roast, matza balls) but this looks like just the thing to shake up routine a little!
happy passover!

Thanks for your lovely comment, Chaya! This was definitely a change up, but I’ve been making matzoh meal pancakes and brownies too. I was thinking of even trying my hand at horse radish but I’m still traumatized by it. The seder really is a lively and lovely gathering. So happy you stopped by.

Amanda, I made your dinner for Easter. When I originally read your post I was feeling really uninspired and didn’t know what I wanted to make for Easter dinner. After reading your post and seeing your recipes I lit up and without hesitation decided to make both your sweet and sour meatballs and the sweet potatoes. It was fantastic! We all loved it. Your recipe was perfectly written and easy to follow. I followed it without any adaptations and it was flawless. Eventually I would really like to have both recipes in my repertoire. If it is ok with you I would like to post them at one point, giving you full credit of course! Thank you for sharing your grandmother’s meatball recipe!

Aw you are so sweet. You just made my night. Truly. The James kitchen stopped by and said you sent her my link in response to her delicious meatball recipe, which was so sweet of you. I’m so glad it was easy to follow and turned out well. I’d love to see your posts and pics read all about it. You’re a great story teller. Recipes are meant to be shared. Xox Thanks again.

This is beautiful, seriously. I love everything about your post, from the photography to the meaningful words. I’ve actually never made meatballs at home but I made tomato sauce last week so it might be time that I change that. Your recipe looks super tasty, as does the sweet potato dish. I hadn’t heard of zhoug before so I’m going to hunt some out on the weekend. Sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing this with us xx